‘On the wings of the seraph’: Two poems by Preeti Manaktala
Poetry by Preeti Manaktala: ‘Sparrows line up on a hanging / electric wire in the distant // chirping and waiting to dry their moist feathers, / but the sun seems incapable today / amid the fog.’
In its efforts to truly understand Bengali culture, the BJP government must accept that it will gain nothing by asserting its influence over Durga Puja pandals. Any attempt to politicise and constrain their artistic freedom diminishes the distinctive flavour of the spectacle. By Sujoy Sarkar